


Snapshots

by GeorgeFredSlytherin



Series: Pictures [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen, Klaus realizing crap, No Luther hate, No swears, Sorry Not Sorry, i cried
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-13 02:47:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19242274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeorgeFredSlytherin/pseuds/GeorgeFredSlytherin
Summary: Klaus watches and realizes some stuff about his siblings.





	Snapshots

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Cauterize](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/87308) by Lady Altair. 



> This is based off of Cauterize by Lady Altair, which is an awesome Harry Potter fanfic. If you know how to get it to her, please do. Lady Altair, if you want me to take this down, please message me.

At first, Klaus doesn’t remember where the camera came from. There’s a vague picture in his head though, of one girl, one night. He doesn’t know why she gave him a camera. He doesn’t even know her name. He stashes the camera in the closet and leaves it be.  
It isn’t until the girl shows up in his room that he starts paying attention. She’s dead – obviously – so why is she still attached to this world? “Do you know what cameras do Klaus?” she asks, and normally he’d answer with some sarcastic illogical comment, but something tells him not to. He shakes his head and she smiles. “They tell stories Klaus,” she says, and she remembers his name, why can’t he remember hers? After that she’s gone. Those words were tying her to this world, and Klaus doesn’t understand, not that he ever really does. He takes the camera from the closet.

He’s horrible at first, not because the pictures come out shaky – though some of them do – but because he is just taking a picture. There is no emotion in what he finds, none at all. He can’t tell a story, he thinks, with no emotion behind it. He takes as many pictures as he can, and tries to find what’s wrong.  
He sees it in Allison first, how different she can be. He didn’t know she was guarded, not really. He has a million pictures of her smiling – with Luther, Vanya, Five, even Ben – and she seems happy in all of them – and then, Claire comes over. It’s not the first time Klaus has seen her, but it’s the first time with the camera, and as he watches, he sees Allison melt. The smile she gives her daughter is different than the ones she gives to her siblings. He never noticed her holding back, but when she twirls her daughter dancing to some old Disney song, there is no holding back. He takes a few photos, and places then in a box under his bed. Others, he may throw away, but these, he knows, will stay forever.

Luther is next, and his picture is completely unexpected. Klaus knows that Luther is haunted by Dad – Reginald, not Dad. Never Dad – sending him to the moon. He knows because he complains about it all the time. Eventually though, all the siblings had put it out of their minds. Luther had been hurt, but so had all of them. It isn’t until that night that Klaus really sees.  
Luther is standing in front of the window. Klaus hadn’t even noticed that it was a full moon, but it makes sense. The light dances across Luther’s face, and, if it were Allison or Vanya, Klaus would have snapped a picture right away. Luther is more gruff though, less beautiful, and so often it is hard to tell what he is thinking, which is why, when Klaus gets a real look at Luther, he whips out his camera.  
Klaus didn’t know that anyone could look the way that Luther does now, everything clear as day. Later, looking at the picture in his room, he can still see every detail. There is hurt, sorrow, betrayal, confusion, joy, longing and so much more, all in the open book of his biggest brother’s face. Klaus places this picture, another memory of something his siblings will not show, in the box under his bed and falls asleep thinking about black and white, and how a small betrayal can hurt more for one person than a large betrayal can hurt another.   


Klaus thought Vanya’s picture would be easy. When they were kids, Vanya’s every emotion was expressed through her violin – not that they ever listened, but still. The first time she takes out her violin after the camera he stands ready to watch emotion flow through her. She starts and – that’s not it. It’s all wrong. Not because she isn’t expressing emotion, but something is still missing. This isn’t the picture he wants.  
Then Diego and Luther get into another argument and he and Vanya are the only ones there. He’s thinking that maybe he can get a quick snapshot of anger or something, when he turns to see Vanya chewing hard on her lip. He doesn’t know why, but he brings up his camera just as Vanya surges forward. Stop. She says. You are hurting each other. She says. Get over yourself, she says, and then she walks away, free as a bird, with a smile that never leaves.  
It’s a series of photos this time, starting with Vanya afraid, and ending with confidence and freedom. Klaus is prouder of his baby sister than he could ever have expected. He hides the pictures away in his box because that is a memory he wants to keep forever. Because Vanya shared something hidden. That, he thinks, is what pictures are for.

Diego wears every emotion on his sleeve, he always has, except for one. He has always hidden away his affection for one woman. Klaus didn’t even know about her until she got shot trying to rescue him. They had thought she was dead, but she isn’t.  
Klaus goes with Diego to see her. He feels like he should apologize, for leaving her there all alone, but the second he sees them together, he knows. He cannot get in the way. Not of this. Diego sits quietly by Eudora Patch’s bedside as she talks about all the trouble doing things his way had brought her, and he smiles. Klaus takes a picture, making sure to include the way Diego holds Patch’s hand.  
When they reach home, Klaus tucks the picture safely away with the others. He remembers then, that he had meant to apologize. It doesn’t matter though. There will be plenty of time. He doesn’t think his brother will be letting go of the detective’s hand anytime soon.

Five is the hardest to take pictures of. Honestly, it’s mostly because Klaus is afraid Five’ll kill him if he does, but he tries, and as he does, a realization comes to him. Five is protective, not in that overbearing way of Luther or Diego, but in a more sensible, quiet way. Whenever he is out and about, he stands closer to anyone who seems weak that day, not just the girls, but Klaus himself, Diego, even Luther. He steps in the way of any problem and uses words to twist out of any situation. He is always there, and he is always ready.  
It shocks Klaus at first, this new Five, until he starts wondering if this is new at all. He thinks of all the times that Five had drawn attention to himself to stop Da – Reginald – from hurting him and the others and wonders why he never noticed.  
After their next outing, Klaus adds another picture to his box. It is of Five, eyeing a figure not in the snapshot. He is standing next to Luther, his tiny body subtly protecting his brother’s from harm. Klaus adds a few others as well, sneakily taken pictures of Five making sure there isn’t any trouble, watching his siblings carefully. There is even one where Klaus had taken a picture of Five watching out for him. He cries himself to sleep that night, clutching the box to his chest. At least he’s pretty sure Five won’t kill him anymore.

Ben is the hardest because he’s – well – dead. Eventually he asks Vanya to take the picture for him. He stands there, his hands glowing so that Ben can manifest. Later, when Klaus adds it to the box, Ben frowns, and points out that he is no different in this picture than at any other time. Klaus just laughs. In the picture, just like it always does when he knows he can be seen, Ben’s smile lights up the room.


End file.
